GED® REASONING THROUGH LANGUAGE ARTS											
Program Title	   GED® Preparation Program	
Program Number	   9900130 	
Program Length 	   Varies	
Course Title	   GED® Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA)	
Course Number	   9900131 	
CIP Number	   1532.010207 	
Grade Equivalent	    9.0-12.9	
Grade Level	   30, 31	
Recommended Length	   Varies (See Program Structure)	

Purpose
The GED® Preparation Program consists of four content-area assessments: Reasoning through Language Arts (RLA), Mathematical Reasoning, Science, and Social Studies. The purpose of the program is to prepare students to obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to pass the official GED® subtests and be awarded a State of Florida High School Diploma. Additional performance levels will certify that the adult student is career and college ready. This program strives to motivate students not only to obtain a State of Florida High School Diploma via passage of the four GED® subject area tests, but to continue their education to earn a postsecondary degree, certificate, or industry certification. 

The Reasoning through Language Arts (RLA) course of the GED® Preparation Program prepares students to pass the GED® RLA Test. This test will focus on the fundamentals in three major content areas:  Reading, Language Arts and Writing. Students will achieve the ability to read closely, the ability to write clearly, and the ability to edit and understand the use of standard written English in context. 

Placement
Beginning with the 2019-20 school year, students should test at the NRS ABE level 5 or higher on a state approved reading assessment (Rule 6A-6.014, F.A.C.) to be placed in the GED® RLA preparation course. If a student scores lower in the eligible Mathematics assessment test, they should also be placed in the Adult Basic Education Mathematics course.  

Note: Students may continue to be reported with the GED® Comprehensive course number if they have tested at the NRS ABE Level 5 or higher on at least one of the eligible Math or Reading assessment subtests. The student should also be enrolled in Adult Basic Education (ABE) to continue instruction in each appropriate subject area until they can demonstrate a NRS ABE Level 5 or higher equivalent scale score on the eligible subtest as appropriate.

Students who have taken and passed the Reasoning through Language Arts GED® subtest but have not yet taken either the science or social studies subtests, should still be tested on an eligible state approved reading assessment and demonstrate a NRS ABE Level 5 or higher scale score in Reading prior to receiving GED® instruction in science or social studies.

GED® 2014 Assessment
Information on the GED® 2014 Assessment and the performance targets and content topics are derived from the Assessment Guide for Educators provided by GED® Testing Service. The manual can be downloaded at https://ged.com/educators_admins/teaching/teaching_resources/

The GED® RLA test items are based on assessment targets derived from the Florida State Standards and similar career-and-college readiness standards.   

Because the strongest predictor of career and college readiness is the ability to read and comprehend complex texts, especially nonfiction, the RLA Test will include texts from both academic and workplace contexts. These texts reflect a range of complexity levels in terms of ideas, syntax, and style. The writing tasks, or Extended Response (ER) items, requires test-takers to analyze given source texts and use evidence drawn from the text(s) to support their answers. The RLA Test includes the following:

•	Seventy-five percent of the texts in the exam will be informational texts (including nonfiction drawn from the science and the social studies as well as a range of texts from workplace contexts); 25 percent will be literary texts.
•	Texts included cover a range of text complexity.
•	Texts emphasize vocabulary that has multiple meanings dependent on subject area or context, rather focusing on discipline-specific terms.
•	U.S. founding documents and the “Great American Conversation” that followed are the required texts for study and assessment.
•	The length of the texts included in the reading comprehension component will vary between 450 and 900 words. 
•	The items written to Depth of Knowledge cognitive complexity level 1,2, or 3.

Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Model
The GED Testing Service® is using Webb’s Depth of Knowledge model to guide test item development for the GED® 2014 assessment. Unlike the Bloom’s Taxonomy system that was used for the GED® 2002 Test Series, the DOK levels are not a taxonomical tool that uses verbs to classify the level of each cognitive demand.  The DOK is the cognitive demand required to correctly answer test questions. The DOK level describes the kind of thinking involved in the task. A greater DOK level requires greater conceptual understanding and cognitive processing by the students. The DOK model includes 4 levels:  (1) recall, (2) basic application of skill/concept, (3) strategic thinking, and (4) extended thinking. Roughly 80 percent of the items across all four tests will be written to DOK levels two and three, and roughly 20 percent will require test-takers to engage level one DOK skills.  Level four entails skills required to successfully complete long-term research projects. Therefore, DOK level four is beyond the scope of this assessment.

Program Structure
The GED® Preparation Program consist of four courses: Reasoning through Language Arts (RLA), Mathematics Reasoning, Social Studies, and Science. The courses are non-graded and characterized by open-entry/open-exit and/or managed enrollment, self-paced instructional modules, differentiated instruction, flexible schedules, and performance-based evaluation. Agencies are awarded one LCP (V-Y) per test passed by the student. The program and course length can vary however the recommended length for Reasoning through Language Arts is approximately 500 hours. 

Course Number	Course Title	Recommended Length*	LCP Level	
9900131	GED®  Prep Reasoning Through Language Arts	Varies*	V	
*Recommended Length:  A maximum of 1300 hours may be funded (state) per each reportable year for an adult education student. However, this should not prevent students from receiving instruction beyond the 1300 hours if needed. For example, you may report 1500 instructional hours but only 1300 hours will be used in the funding calculation.

Note:  Section 1003.435(4), F.S. states, “A candidate for a high school equivalency diploma shall be at least 18 years of age on the date of the examination, except that in extraordinary circumstances, as provided for in rules of the district school board, a candidate may take the examination after reaching the age of 16.”

Special Notes

Accommodations
Federal and state legislation requires the provision of accommodations for students with disabilities to meet individual needs and ensure equal access. Adult students with disabilities must self-identify and provided documentation to request such services. Students with disabilities may need accommodations in areas such as instructional methods and materials, assignments and assessments, time demands and schedules, learning environment, assistive technology and special communication systems. 
Adult Education Instructor Certification Requirements
As per section 1012.39 (1)(b), F.S., each school district shall establish the minimal qualifications  for part-time and full-time teachers in adult education programs.

Career and Education Planning 
The following career development standards are designed to be integrated into the GED® frameworks to assist students with career exploration and planning. Students can access Florida’s career information delivery system or a comparable system for career exploration and development of a career plan.  
 
Standards:

CP. GED.01	Develop skills to locate, evaluate, and interpret career information.
CP. GED.02	Identify interests, skills, and personal preferences that influence career and education choices.
CP.GED.03	Identify career cluster and related pathways that match career and education goals.
CP.GED.04	Develop and manage a career and education plan.  

Digital Literacy (Technology)
Computer skills have become essential in today’s world. Students use a variety of technology tools such as calculators, cell phones, and computers for multiple uses; communicate with friends and family, apply for work, classroom instruction, testing, and in the workplace. Technology standards are designed to be integrated in the GED® instruction.  

Standards:
DL.GED.01     Develop basic keyboarding and numerical keypad skills.
DL.GED.02     Produce a variety of documents such as research papers, resumes, charts, and
           tables using word processing programs.
DL.GED.03     Use Internet search engines such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo to collect data and
    information.
DL.GED.04     Practice safe, legal, and responsible sharing of information, data, and opinions online. 

Workforce Preparation Activities
The term “workforce preparation activities” means activities, programs, or services designed to help an individual acquire a combination of basic academic skills, critical thinking skills, digital literacy skills, and self-management skills, including competencies in utilizing resources, using information, working with others, understanding systems, and obtaining skills necessary for successful transition into and completion of postsecondary education or training, or employment. (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), 2014).  

The following activities should be integrated into the classroom instruction: 

Critical Thinking 	All students will make decisions and solve problems by specifying goals, identifying resources and constraints, generating alternatives, considering impacts, choosing appropriate alternatives, implementing plans of action, and evaluating results. 	
Teamwork	All students will learn to work cooperatively with people with diverse backgrounds and abilities.  Students will identify with the group’s goals and values, learn to exercise leadership, teach others new skills, serve clients or customers, and contribute with ideas, suggestions, and work efforts. 	
Employment 	All students will develop job search skills for employment such as completing an application, resume, cover letter, thank you letter, and interviewing techniques. 	
Self-Management	All students should display personal qualities such as responsibility, self-management, self-confidence, ethical behavior, and respect for self and others. 	
Utilizing Resources	All students will learn to identify, organize, plan, and allocate resources (such as time, money, material, and human resources) efficiently and effectively. 	
Using Information	All students will acquire, organize, interpret, and evaluate information in post-secondary, training, or work situations.	
Understanding Systems	All students will learn to understand, monitor, and improve complex systems, including social, technical, and mechanical systems, and work with and maintain a variety of technologies. 	

	READING  STANDARDS                                                                                            	
R.1  	Determine central ideas or themes of texts, analyze their development, and summarize the key supporting details and ideas.  	
R.1.a	Comprehend explicit details and main ideas in text.	
R.1.b	Summarize details and ideas in text.	
R.1.c	Make sentence-level inferences about details that support main ideas.	
R.1.d	Infer implied main ideas in paragraphs or whole texts.	
R.1.e	Determine which detail(s) support(s) a main idea.	
R.1.f	Identify a theme, or identify which element(s) in a text support a theme.	
R.1.g	Make evidence-based generalizations or hypotheses based on details in text, including clarifications, extensions, or applications of main ideas to new situations.	
R.1.h	Draw conclusions or make generalizations that require mixing several main ideas in text.	
R.2  	Analyze how individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.	
R.2.a	Order sequences of events in texts.	
R.2.b	Make inferences about plot/sequence of events, characters/people, settings, or ideas in texts.	
R.2.c	Analyze relationships within texts, including how events are important in relation to plot or conflict; how people, ideas, or events are connected, developed, or distinguished; how events contribute to theme or relate to key ideas; or how a setting or context shapes structure and meaning.	
R.2.d	Infer relationships between ideas in a text (e.g., an implicit cause and effect, parallel, or contrasting relationship).  	
R.2.e	Analyze the roles that details play in complex literary or informational texts.	
R.3.2; L.4.2  	Interpret words and phrases that appear frequently in texts from a wide variety of disciplines, including determining connotative and figurative meanings from context and analyzing how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.  	

R.3.1/L.4.1	Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining connotative and figurative meanings from context.	
R.3.2/L.4.2	Analyze how meaning or tone is affected when one word is replaced with another.	
R.4.3/L.4.3	Analyze the impact of specific words, phrases, or figurative language in text, with a focus on an author’s intent to convey information or construct an argument.

R.4 	Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences or paragraphs relate to each other and the whole.  	
R.4.a	Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.	
R.4.b	Analyze the structural relationship between adjacent sections of text (e.g., how one paragraph develops or refines a key concept or distinguishing one idea from another).	
R.4.c	Analyze transitional language or signal words (words that indicate structural relationships, such as consequently, nevertheless, otherwise) and determine how they refine meaning, emphasize certain ideas or reinforce an author’s purpose.	
R.4.d	Analyze how the structure of a paragraph, section, or passage shapes meaning, emphasizes key ideas, or supports an author’s purpose.	
R.5 	Determine an author’s purpose or point of view in a text and explain how it is conveyed and shapes the content and style of a text.  	
R.5.a	Determine an author’s point of view or purpose of a text.	
R.5.b	Analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others or how an author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.	
R.5.c	Infer an author’s implicit and explicit purposes based on details in text.	
R.5.d	Analyze how an author uses rhetorical techniques to advance his or her point of view or achieve a specific purpose (e.g., analogies, enumerations, repetition and parallelism, juxtaposition of opposites, qualifying statements).  	
R.6 	Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including if the reasoning was valid, as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.  	
R.7.1	Delineate the specific steps of an argument the author puts forward, including how the argument’s claims build on one another.	
R.8.a	Identify specific pieces of evidence an author uses in support of claims or conclusions.  	
R.8.b	Evaluate the relevance and sufficiency of evidence offered in support of a claim.  	
R.8.c	Distinguish claims that are supported by reason and evidence from claims that are not.	
R.8.d	Assess whether the reasoning is valid; identify false reasoning in an argument and evaluate its impact.	
R.8.e	Identify an underlying premise or assumption in an argument and evaluate the logical support and evidence provided.	
R.9 & R.7  	Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics.  	
R.9.a/R.7.a	Draw specific comparisons between two texts that address similar themes or topics, or between information presented in different formats (e.g., between information presented in text and information or data summarized in a table or timeline).	
R.9.b	Compare two passages in a similar or closely related genre that share ideas or themes, focusing on similarities and/or differences in perspective, tone, style, structure, purpose, or overall impact.	
R.9.c	Compare two argumentative passages on the same topic that present opposing claims (either main or supporting claims) and analyze how each text emphasizes different evidence or advances a different interpretation of facts.	
R.7.b	Analyze how data or quantitative and/or visual information extends, clarifies, or contradicts information in text or determines how data supports an author’s argument.	
R.7.c	Compare two passages that present related ideas or themes in different genre or formats (e.g., a feature article and an online FAQ or fact sheet) in order to evaluate differences in scope, purpose, emphasis, intended audience, or overall impact when comparing.	
R.7.d	Compare two passages that present related ideas or themes in different genre or formats in order to synthesize details, draw conclusions, or apply information to new situations.	
		
	LANGUAGE STANDARDS                                                                	
L.1 	Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.  	
L.1.a	Edit to correct errors involving frequently confused words and homonyms, including contractions (passed, past; two, too, to; there, their, they’re; knew, new; it’s, its).	
L.1.b	Edit to correct errors in straightforward subject-verb agreement.	
L.1.c	Edit to correct errors in pronoun usage, including pronoun-antecedent agreement, unclear pronoun references, and pronoun case.	
L.1.d	Edit to eliminate nonstandard or informal usage (e.g., correctly use tries to win the game instead of try and win the game).	
L.1.e	Edit to eliminate dangling or misplaced modifiers or illogical word order (e.g., correctly use to meet almost all requirements instead of to almost meet all requirements).	
L.1.f	Edit to ensure parallelism and proper subordination and coordination.	
L.1.g	Edit to correct errors in subject-verb or pronoun antecedent agreement in more complicated situations (e.g., with compound subjects, interceding phrases, or collective nouns).	
L.1.h	Edit to eliminate wordiness or awkward sentence construction.	
L.1.i	Edit to ensure effective use of transitional words, conjunctive adverbs, and other words and phrases that support logic and clarity.	
L.2 	Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization and punctuation when writing.  	
L.2.a	Edit to ensure correct use of capitalization (e.g., proper nouns, titles, and beginnings of sentences).	
L.2.b
	Edit to eliminate run-on sentences, fused sentences, or sentence fragments.	
L.2.c	Edit to ensure correct use of apostrophes with possessive nouns.	
L.2.d	Edit to ensure correct use of punctuation (e.g., commas in a series or in appositives and other nonessential elements, end marks, and appropriate punctuation for clause separation).	
		
	WRITING STANDARDS                                                                         	
R.1	W.1  Determine the details of what is explicitly stated and make logical inferences or valid claims that square with textual evidence	
W.1.,W.2., W.4	W.2  Produce and extended analytical response in which the writer introduces the idea(s) or claim(s) clearly; creates an organization that logically sequences information; develops the idea(s) or claim(s) thoroughly with well-chosen examples, facts, or details from the text; and maintains a coherent focus.	
W.5 and L.1, L.2, L.3	W.3  Write clearly and demonstrate sufficient command of standard English conventions	
  
Notes:
•	Information provided on the GED® test standards is based on the Assessment Guide for Educators, GED Testing Service®.